Leonardo, having fled his seat, wandered through the train and only found an appropriate place when he reached the tail car. When he opened the door at the end of the last corridor, an open view greeted him—an outside deck surrounded by railings.
The thin railway vanished into steam and wind beneath the setting sky. Perhaps because the air was steadily growing colder, there was no one else outside.
He took a type of cigar he didn’t usually smoke from his artifact, lit the brownish tip, and pulled his face mask down to his neck.
“I should’ve come out earlier.”
When he put the other end in his mouth, the plump cigar slimmed with each inhale, then swelled slightly again. He removed his cap and ruffled his bangs, bringing back the volume that had been pressed flat.
His brown hair, still carrying a golden luster, fluttered in the wind. He leaned forward, resting his arms on the railing, and exhaled a long stream of smoke.
‘Of all places to run into them here. When I still need to be careful.’
From the conversation of the group he’d assumed were His Grace’s knights, it seemed the main castle—meaning the duke’s ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) family—was currently in a considerable state of tension. There was no need to question the cause; it was him. He’d expected the commotion to spread, but it was still puzzling that they remained on standby in full armor.
He had left a letter to prevent misunderstanding, too, and he worried they might not have found it.
‘No, the lord said it wasn’t a big deal. So he must’ve read the letter...’
He hoped his actions wouldn’t make His Grace feel threatened. The man had already been swept up in the explosion incident and must be exhausted. Leonardo had no desire to trouble him further.
He knew it would cause confusion, but the reason he deliberately left the gift inside the castle walls was to deliver its costly contents safely. He was also worried that if he left it where outsiders could see, unfounded rumors might spread—rumors that the duke’s family was distributing monsters. For the same reason, even though the magic tool he’d given him had rung several times over the past few months, he had never answered.
Although he had prepared in advance so that person wouldn’t be tangled in the explosion incident, he ultimately couldn’t keep him completely clear of gossip. In other words, if he couldn’t control every situation, his future actions might put him in an awkward position again. With his judgment clouded by that, he might ruin a task intertwined with countless aspirations.
Moreover, someone as perceptive as that person would have vaguely realized there was something wrong with the watch. Since few could tamper with the duke’s watch, naturally, Leonardo would end up on the list of suspects.
That kiss that day was the only weakness he had left—he had never left physical evidence before. It had been an immature impulse, swept along by the moment’s emotions, one that could have endangered not only himself and the other person, but also his colleagues and partners. So, at least until the explosion incident faded from public memory, it was better to avoid contact. Whether it was Duke Agrizendro, his knights, or anything within reach of his eyes and hands.
“Hah...”
Still, he wanted to treat delivering the gift as a separate matter. It was the duke’s birthday, and he couldn’t just pass it by coldly.
Though he hadn’t been able to face him in the end for fear of wavering, he hoped that person wouldn’t resent him for it. No—maybe it would be fine if he resented him a little. Because that would mean he wanted to see him.
‘By the way... what are they trying to dig up about the Imperial Army?’
Even children passing by knew the relationship between the Council and the Imperial Army was bad, but running a covert investigation—secretly deploying subordinates in that situation—was no ordinary matter. If he’d run into the knights while he was alone, he would have followed them and helped gather information, as he’d done before.
But the compass guiding him—the greenhorn—didn’t have much valid time left. In too many ways, it was too tight to detour down another path for long. And with that, the layers of questions piling up before his eyes tangled further, mixing with smoke that could drift in any direction, swelling in volume.
As he wrestled with those thoughts, the corridor door behind him—the one that had been closed—opened. The footsteps carried through the floor were familiar.
Creeak—
“Just how far did you go...”
Signe appeared, grumbling irritably. She hesitated as she poked her head out, then trailed off.
“Oh, Teo?”
Leonardo straightened from where he’d been leaning. He exhaled smoke along with a sigh from the corner of his lips and looked back.
The moment she saw the handsome man standing amid the cigarette smoke, Signe’s eyes widened. Leonardo, turning his body and hiding the cigar behind his back, frowned and asked:
“Why did you follow me?”
It was an answer that confirmed it was him. Even so, Signe only blinked a few times, still looking dazed. Scanning him—his presence deepened by the falling twilight—she blurted, bewildered:
“Is that... really you?”
As she closed the door and stepped onto the deck, Leonardo waved a hand in the opposite direction, telling her to go back.
“Go inside. This is toxic.”
“No— is it really you? There isn’t a single scar, so why did you hide your face? I thought you covered it because of a skin disease!”
“That’s my business...”
“Don’t you know it’s a sin to hide a face like yours?”
“What?”
Signe grabbed the railing beside Leonardo and thrust her face close. Leonardo, momentarily flustered, grabbed the pillar and pulled himself back.
As if she felt cheated that she’d only now confirmed how remarkably fine his face was, she stomped one foot on the deck. She stared intently at his face—one she didn’t dare touch. Whether her words were praise or scolding that embarrassed the listener was an added bonus.
*****
“Where did they go?”
The knight who had gone to the next car to check on the two wandered through the train, carrying a paper bag filled with food. He’d already passed through several cars, but there was no sign of them. Even in the connecting corridors between cars, there were only standing passengers—no trace of anyone smoking.
In the first place, smoking in the inter-car corridors had been publicly prohibited since the explosion incident. If so, the only place to smoke would be the tail car’s observation deck.
The knight headed toward the end of the train, opening and closing the connecting doors as he went. He checked the seats along the way as well, but it didn’t seem likely they would have changed seats after entrusting their military gear.
By the time he reached the last car, the passenger seats that had been densely filled earlier had vanished without a trace. Only cleaning tools, coal, and other miscellaneous items lay scattered amid the steam.
Of course, even here, a few passengers had found places to sit. It was unclear whether they had purchased proper tickets or boarded some other way.
‘Would they have come this far? Maybe they went into the bathroom and I missed them.’
It didn’t seem likely someone would come to such a shabby place just to smoke a cigarette. Not all trains even had a deck where smoking was allowed.
It seemed better to head back before the food went cold. Just as he was about to turn around with regret, he noticed a sign on a door to the other side: NO ENTRY EXCEPT STAFF. An ordinary person wouldn’t take interest, but it was a place he couldn’t overlook during an investigation.
After hesitating, he strode over, deciding to check just that far as a final measure. Unlike his steps, the hand that closed around the handle was cautious.
Creeak—
But when he’d opened it halfway, he felt a strong force from the other side, as if someone were pushing the door shut. The knight reflexively jammed a foot into the gap.
‘...!’
The door that was about to close caught on his foot with a thud. A heavy pain shot through the metatarsal, but he didn’t show it. Through the opening, three people were visible in the inter-car corridor.
They weren’t the two he’d been looking for, but unfamiliar faces with sharp eyes. Two of them looked at him from where they leaned against the corridor wall, and the third blocked his entry with his body, hand still on the doorknob.
‘...What is this?’
Beyond the corridor was another door, its upper portion fitted with transparent glass. That would lead out to the deck. But instead of explaining why they were blocking him, the man only stared, radiating silent pressure.
The knight, frowning in confusion, scanned the man from head to toe and asked:
“Ah, excuse me. Are you the manager?”
“.......”
There was no answer to the easy question. And their clothes didn’t look like those of train engineers or attendants, either.
Sensing something off, the knight lifted the paper bag to cover his lower face and continued calmly:
“Are you waiting for your turn?”
He flicked his gaze toward the last door leading to the deck and mimed exhaling smoke. The man facing him half-turned his head, then looked forward again and answered curtly:
“Yes.”
That was all. Still holding the handle and pressing lightly, the knight shrugged as if disappointed.
“Then I’ll come back later. Good work.”
With that simple reply, he eased off the pressure he’d been holding with his shoulder. And as if rudely shooing him away, the rough iron door bounced off the knight and slammed shut.
Thud—
With the steam and iron wheels, he couldn’t make out what was happening inside, but he could feel the sudden bustle beyond the door. Standing before the sealed iron panel, the knight stared ahead, eyes narrowed. After a moment, he weighed the strength of the opponent who had matched him evenly.
“...Huh.”
With a soft sigh, the knight tilted his head slightly. Then, deliberately, he let his footsteps ring as he walked back the way he’d come.
